


Thicker than Water

by vicki



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-25
Updated: 2007-07-25
Packaged: 2017-10-15 06:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/157962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vicki/pseuds/vicki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blood still runs thick in the Noble House of Black.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thicker than Water

There was a knock at the door, and Andromeda Tonks looked around her living room; at the overflowing bin of used tissues and the copies of the Daily Prophet stacked high on the table and the collection of paraphernalia that babies always generate. She thought about ignoring the door, but the knock came again, harder and more insistent.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," muttered Andromeda, wiping her hand across her eyes as she headed to the front door.

She froze as she opened it and was met with the blond heads of her sister and nephew.

For a moment, all she could do was stare, before she came to her senses and slammed the door in their faces.

"Andromeda," Narcissa called. "Andromeda, _please_."

It was the 'please' that caught Andromeda's attention, and she slowly opened the door again.

Narcissa held up her hands. "We're both wandless," she said. "I just came here I had to see you."

Andromeda swallowed. "Why?" she asked, her voice scratchy.

"Because you're my sister. You're the only sister I have left. Because we're family," said Narcissa.

"Don't talk to me about family," said Andromeda coldly. "You still have yours."

"You're still a Black, Andromeda, no matter what," said Narcissa.

Andromeda's eyes flashed angrily. "So, the years of my life as Andromeda Tonks means nothing? Because Ted was a Muggle-born, my marriage to him means nothing? My little Dora was nothing?" A choked sob escaped her lips. "The family I lost means nothing because of this pure-blood heritage I had the unfortunate chance of being born in to? I'm sorry, Narcissa, but if that's the best you've got, then I've got nothing more to say to you."

"Andromeda," pleaded Narcissa. "All I want is to try and help you."

Andromeda laughed bitterly. "Help me? I thought the idea of being a Black was that you only helped yourself, and perhaps the Dark Lord."

Narcissa flinched, and bowed her head. "Lucius was misguided; _I_ was misguided," she said softly. "It doesn't matter now. He is gone."

"At the cost of what?" spat Andromeda, turning her back and trying to slam the door closed again.

Narcissa blocked it with her hand. "I can't change the past, but here and now I can do something," she said. "I want to start with making up with my sister."

Andromeda's shoulders shook slightly. "Come in and take a seat," she said softly, moving back towards the living room. But if this isn't if you then I swear, Narcissa, that I will "

"I know," said Narcissa quickly, beckoning the still silent Draco to follow her. "But I have no ulterior motives here."

Andromeda curled up in her armchair again, picking up her wand and resting it on her lap. "There better not be," she said.

She watched Narcissa's gaze flick around the room, picking out the pictures of Ted and Dora throughout the years and stopping to rest on the single frame on the middle of the mantelpiece; Dora and Remus' quick little wedding the previous year. Dora's hair was her favorite bright pink, swept up and caught in a simple veil that had been Ted's mother's. Remus hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her all day, and even in the photograph he was still watching her with the same look of stunned happiness that he had sported that entire day.

"We, ah, heard about the wedding," was all Narcissa could say as she gracefully perched on the the sofa, Draco next to her.

"Their first anniversary would have been last week," said Andromeda, clenching her fist around her wand and willing her voice not to crack. She had spent the first half of the day obsessively cleaning the entire house by hand, with the exception of Dora's room. She had stood in that doorway, staring at the still rumpled bed and the robes left hurriedly across the back of the chair from that day; the whole room left with the feeling of waiting. Andromeda had spent the rest of the day simply holding Teddy in her arms and allowing the tears to fall as he changed his hair through all the colours of the rainbow and eventually falling asleep with a bright pink that had stayed throughout the night.

"I'm so sorry," said Narcissa. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been. I thought I had lost Draco during that battle and "

"Shut up!" screamed Andromeda suddenly. Sparks flew out of the end of her wand, but she didn't seem to notice. "Your child is alive. Your husband is alive. I lost _both_ of mine. Ted died because he was Muggle-born and my Dora because all she wanted to do was help fight evil and bring her husband home safely. And yet you and your family were firmly ensconced in the middle of all that evil and you all survived. You followed the Dark Lord and you kept your family. _Mine all died_. Was joining He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named all that I had to do? Because to keep my husband and my daughter and my son-in-law alive, I would have done that. I would have done anything that I could. You don't understand; you can't understand what it's like to have you entire life ripped away from you. So don't try and sympathise with me because you _thought_ you lost Draco." She faltered and started to cry, bowing her head. "Oh, Ted. Dora, my little Dora."

The room was silent before a high pitched wail started, echoing magically around the living room.

"That's Teddy," said Andromeda, raising her head. Sniffing slightly, she moving up off her chair, wiping at her eyes.

Draco hesitated, before standing himself. The memory of Voldemort's sneer, _"And will you be babysitting the cubs, Draco?"_ , echoed in his head. "I'll get him," he said quietly, glancing across at his aunt, before his eyes dropped back to the floor.

Andromeda hesitated quite noticeably and her hand reached towards her wand again.

Narcissa merely stared at her son, and he raised his head slightly and nodded just once.

"He'll be fine, Andromeda," said Narcissa slowly. "I swear."

"I'll bring him straight back down, Mrs. Tonks," said Draco, raising his eyes once more.

Andromeda looked at her sister and then back towards Draco again, before nodding. "Okay," she whispered, her voice hoarse as she sank back down into the chair again. She could almost feel the tension in the room lessen slightly as Draco disappeared.

"So, how does it feel to be a grandmother?" asked Narcissa, trying to lighten the mood.

"I wouldn't know, considering I'm playing the role of mother rather than grandmother to him," said Andromeda tightly.

Narcissa recoiled slightly as though she'd been slapped. "But he's something, right?" she asked. "You don't have nothing; you still have your grandson and he's a part of your daughter, who was a part of your husband. You still have a part of that family."

Andromeda was quiet for a moment, her eyes watching the door as she heard Teddy's screams die down and the sound of Draco's feet thudding down the stairs again.

There was a curious look on Draco's face as he reappeared with the now quiet baby in his arms.

Andromeda immediately noticed that Teddy's hair colour was a perfect match to Draco's.

"He's everything now," she said softly.

"Here you are, Mrs. Tonks," said Draco, handing Teddy across. Andromeda smiled down at Teddy, watching his hair morph to turquoise. Glancing across at her sister, she noticed that instead of the expected disgust at Teddy being 'different', Narcissa was also smiling.

"Thank you, Draco," said Andromeda softly, as Teddy grabbed at her finger and started to gnaw at it with his toothless gums. "But you don't have to keep calling me Mrs. Tonks, if you don't want to. I think Aunt Andromeda will do just fine."


End file.
